By Muhammad Mamman
Nigeria’s Labour Party vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has renewed calls for generational change in the country’s leadership, arguing that politics has been dominated for too long by the same set of actors.
Speaking during a recent public engagement, Baba-Ahmed pointed to the long political career of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as a symbol of Nigeria’s entrenched political class.
“Atiku started contesting elections when I was doing my National Youth Service Corps (NYSC),” Baba-Ahmed said, underscoring what he described as a widening gap between Nigeria’s ageing leadership and its youthful population.
He argued that Nigeria, where a majority of citizens are under the age of 35, urgently needs leaders who better understand the realities, aspirations and frustrations of younger people.
“There is a need for a new generation of Nigerian leaders,” he said, adding that the country’s recurring challenges require fresh ideas, energy and a break from decades-old political thinking.
Baba-Ahmed’s comments come amid growing public debate over generational inclusion, governance reforms and political succession in Africa’s most populous country, where young voters have increasingly demanded greater representation in decision-making.
The former senator has consistently positioned himself as an advocate of youth participation in politics, calling on younger Nigerians not only to vote but to actively seek leadership roles across all levels of government.
